LOS ANGELES_Eric Dickerson reversed field on one element of controversy, but the NFL Hall of Fame running back remained steadfast about another Friday as the Los Angeles Rams departed for Sunday's game at New England.
After a meeting Thursday with Kevin Demoff, Dickerson said he no longer holds the Rams' chief executive officer and vice president for football operations responsible for the phone call that led to the tempest that has rocked the franchise.
But Dickerson reiterated that he would not attend Rams games as long as Jeff Fisher is the coach.
"I'm a man of my word," Dickerson said during a phone interview. "I said I'm not coming. I'm never coming as long as he is there."
Dickerson and his former team have been at odds since Monday over a situation that began with Dickerson's request for sideline passes for friends to the Rams' Nov. 20 game against Miami at the Coliseum.
Dickerson, who has been publicly critical of the Rams this season, said Fisher had called him a few days before the game to say he was not welcome on the sideline because he made players and coaches uncomfortable.
Fisher has said Dickerson could not simultaneously criticize the Rams publicly and expect to receive special favors such as sideline passes. He said he received a text from Dickerson after their conversation that indicated he and Dickerson had patched up the disagreement.
This week's back and forth put the Rams in the league spotlight despite their 4-7 record heading into Sunday's game against the 9-2 Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
Dickerson said earlier in the week that Demoff was behind the decision to ban him from the sideline.
"Very disappointed in Kevin Demoff," Dickerson said Wednesday on ESPN's "SportsCenter." "I told Jeff Fisher this at the beginning, I said 'This didn't come from you, this came from Kevin Demoff.' And he started laughing. So I said that's how I feel about this whole situation."
Demoff met with Dickerson on Thursday.
"We talked for almost three hours, trying to resolve things," Dickerson said Friday on "SportsCenter," adding, "The conversation went well. I think we got some things resolved. He said, 'You're always part of the organization.'"
Later, during a phone interview with the Los Angeles Times, Dickerson said, "We just talked. We both had a glass of wine and water over those three hours."
Demoff confirmed there was meeting but he declined to comment.
